Chapter: Jefferson County

If you are looking for a growing base of fun-filled committed community leaders to share your talents with, look no further! The Jefferson County Chapter hosts over two thousand members from all over Louisville, Oldham County and across the bridge in southern Indiana. Our chapter hosts both the young and experienced from many different walks of life. While actively supporting all of KFTC’s statewide campaigns, members in our chapter also have work on local campaigns around air quality, economic justice, and more.

Since the chapter formed in 1983, we have supported and worked with allies on issues that affect you and me, including affordable housing, police abuse, sweat shops, hazardous waste reduction and recycling. Our doors are open to anyone who wants to fight for justice while building a compassionate, connected, and fun community here in our great city.

The Saturday before the Kentucky primary election voter registration deadline, Jefferson County Chapter of KFTC organized Bike the Vote, a pop-up voter registration drive in West Louisville. Eighteen people volunteered to register voters, some riding bikes between the four pop-up locations; two grocery stores and two parks. After four hours and eight miles of biking, the group registered 40 voters. Chapter members registered a total of 84 voters during the week of April 14.

“From Louisville to Appalachia: Celebrating Our Common Heritage” was scheduled to be the first event of the Jefferson County Chapter’s Louisville Loves Mountains Week, a series of events leading up to the I Love Mountains Day march and rally at the State Capitol in Frankfort. Inclement weather led to the postponement of the event, but thankfully all of the performers and speakers were available to come out on March 17.

“From Louisville to Appalachia” was a celebration of Kentucky’s African American heritage in Appalachia. Kentucky writers, musicians, and speakers were invited to share their work and personal stories in celebration of the unique natural beauty, ecological importance, and cultural heritage of Kentucky's Appalachian Mountains and mountain communities.

img_2921.jpgimg_2921.jpgCassia Herron, board president of Community Farm Alliance and Richmond, Kentucky native, emceed the event and also shared her family’s story of being tied to the land. Tarsha Semakula’s reading of her poem “I am Louisville” mesmerized the audience. Tarsha is a poet, writer, entrepreneur, and founder and executive director of The Buttafly Center, a community agency that is dedicated to the empowerment of women via education and training, communal resources, and personal development.

Earlier this month the Jefferson County Chapter of KFTC partnered with Network Center for Community Change (NC3) to host a Legislative Call-in Party focused on House Bill 70, the bill that seeks to restore voting rights to former felons who have paid their debt to society. KFTC members joined NC3 members at their office to call the Legislative Message Line (1-800-372-7181) and leave messages for their senators and all senators asking them to recede to the House version of HB70. Members also took to social media to encourage their friends and family to do their part to support HB 70.